Hong Kong Museum of Art

One of many striking buildings lining the famed Kowloon sea-front of Salisbury Road, the Hong Kong Museum of Art rises six storeys above the South China Sea. Inside, some of the most exquisite examples of Chinese artistry and craftsmanship are to be found, spanning millennia of creation. They couldn't be housed in more fitting city – Hong Kong isn't just where East meets West, it was from here that the world was introduced to the superb art forms of the Orient, and promptly fell in love with them. Now the finest are back on display in China's most vibrant city, for the world to come and see.

Ceramics, lacquerwork, calligraphy, watercolour paintings and delicate tea-ware form the heart of this museum's astounding collections. But there are also galleries given over to modern Chinese art, and in particular the fusion of artistic styles that gathered pace in the 20th century. Chinese artists like Zhang Daqian, Huang Binhong and Lin Fengmian showcase the energy that comes from the melding of western techniques to Chinese sensibilities.

The Museum owes its origins to private collections gifted to the museum by individuals worried over China's loss of cultural heritage. It opened in 1962, and moved to its present site in 1991. The Chinese Antiquities section has some of the most ancient pieces, with 4,000 items ranging from the Neolithic to the 20th century. There is a special emphasis on ceramic work from Guangdong, the southern China province just north of Hong Kong.

The Chinese Painting and Calligraphy section starts with some of the oldest watercolours in the world, with works from the Northern Dynasties of the 4th to 6th centuries. It also has extensive collections of the masters of the later Ming and Qing Dynasties. The museum is especially proud of the works collected from the period of transition between the two dynasties, which many consider to be when classical Chinese art reached its serene heights. Hong Kong may be a hectic modern city, but the Hong Kong Museum of Art is one part of town where you can find your own piece of timeless tranquillity.